(File photo)
The rank and file of Meghalaya Congress remain unconvinced about Dr. Mukul Sangma’s return to the party. Notably, an AICC source bluntly remarked, “Mukul Sangma chapter is closed at this point of time.”
According to insiders, several state Congress leaders — including Member of Parliament from the Tura Parliamentary Constituency, Saleng A. Sangma — are vehemently opposed to the move. Dr. Mukul, who remains the pivot of Meghalaya’s political narrative, is reportedly firm in his stance — unwilling to return under the current dispensation.
A senior Congress leader cutting through the speculation said, “Dr. Mukul Sangma himself has said he doesn’t want to join back the Congress party, so why are we even talking about it?”
Meanwhile, many within the Congress believe that Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Vincent H. Pala has become the single biggest obstacle to the party’s revival.
Sources revealed that Pala has been lobbying for Dr. Mukul’s return, but the MPCC functionaries and leaders remains unconvinced. “Pala wants to bring back Dr. Mukul Sangma because if he succeeds, it will show Dr. Mukul has accepted Pala as leader,” said a Congress functionary.
Since taking charge as MPCC President, Pala has presided over the mass desertion of legislators, including Dr. Mukul himself.
Meanwhile, a cloud of political uncertainty hangs over the Meghalaya Congress as several high-profile former legislators continue to hesitate in rejoining the party under the leadership of Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Vincent H. Pala. Their reluctance follows recent remarks by All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Dr. A. Chellakumar, who asserted, “Pala is a loyal Congress man, dedicated Congress man. He is working hard as Pradesh Congress Committee President… People who left Congress are coming back and joining Congress… They are accepting the leadership of Vincent Pala.”
But the reality within the state unit tells a different story. Several former legislators, visibly irked by Chellakumar’s statement, have made it clear they will not return as long as Pala remains at the helm. “We don’t accept the leadership of Vincent H. Pala,” one former legislator stated bluntly, while another added, “Remove Pala and see many of us are willing to join Congress, because Congress is in our heart. AICC should act fast.”
Their dissatisfaction runs deeper than personal politics — it reflects a disconnect between grassroots leadership and Delhi’s decision-making. A senior ex-legislator in touch with both AICC and MPCC leaders remarked, “Vincent Pala was never a grassroots leader. Before he became MP, we never heard anything about him. He was never a block Congress or district Congress leader. He just made MPCC President out of the blue — that’s why we left Congress. Pala should be removed before many of us return to the Congress fold.”
Adding to the discord, another former legislator revealed, “Pala wants me to return to Congress. He has approached several times, but I don’t want to join under his leadership.”
While the Congress party struggles to revive its organizational strength in Meghalaya, sources from the AICC headquarters in Delhi have indicated that despite Chellakumar’s public endorsement, the central leadership is quietly evaluating alternative faces capable of rejuvenating the party in the state. According to one insider, though Pala may have earned temporary respite from removal, “Pala is more into business now than the party.”
As Delhi weighs its options, the Meghalaya Congress stands at a crossroads — torn between loyalty and leadership fatigue, on one question it can no longer ignore: will Vincent Pala stay — or will the Congress finally act before its last remnants of relevance slip away in Meghalaya’s shifting political tide?
